


Distant

by wowthwtslame



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: #givesteventherapy2020, Anyways, Blood, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Steven Universe Has PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, give Steven therapy please, help him, his soon-to-be gf is very worried, lars is having friendly fire but comes back to a cesspool of issues, slight vent fic, steven universe has depression, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 08:20:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22342912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wowthwtslame/pseuds/wowthwtslame
Summary: Lars comes back to Earth after Padparadscha’s gem is cracked.
Relationships: Amethyst & Garnet & Pearl (Steven Universe), Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, Lars Barriga & Steven Universe
Comments: 12
Kudos: 94





	1. Chapter 1

“Shoot, Paddy!” Lars yelped. “Your gem’s cracked!” Padparadscha offered no reply, but gestured her acknowledgement. Her form flickered. “Rhodes, Twins, Fluorite? How do we fix this?” Everyone looked around nervously. Before Lars could panic, however, the largest gem’s slow voice tore through the heavy atmosphere. “There is... one... gem... who can... heal...” Lars looked at her, confused, before his eyes widened in realization. “Twins, set the coordinates to Beach City. Rhodes, check our thrusters.” “We only have enough fuel for a blast back to Earth. We won’t be able to get back into space from there! Also, many of the ship’s components were damaged in the brawl,” Rhodonite nervously retorted. “Don’t worry about that right now. We have to make a quick stop home.”

~~~~~

Lars hadn’t expected the friendly fire with the Nephrite to backfire. Though, in retrospect, he could see the ignorance. One minute, they were having fun, barely grazing each other with missiles, shouting teasing expletives over the video screen. The next, a quartz had bumped into Nephrite, causing her to miss and hit the front of the  Sun Incinerator twice. The ship was thrown back, hurling everyone backwards. Padparadscha had hit the back wall, landing painfully on her gem with a loud  _ crack _ ! “Padparadscha!” “Pads!” The Rutile twins had shouted. “Aw, nuts.” Lars huffed, looking for his teammate.

~~~~~

The  Incinerator landed on the sand, sinking the landing gear into the ground. Lars hopped out, carrying Paddy in his arms. The other Off Colors followed, nervous. “Hey! Back so soon?” Sadie’s voice echoed across the beach, bouncing off the cliff face. She ran over to him. “Yeah, Pads got her gem cracked in some friendly fire with a Nephrite. Their eons-old ship managed to damage ours, so we need that repaired, too.” Lars explained. “Oh, well, have fun.” Lars scoffed at Sadie’s reply. “One more thing, before you go to Steven’s house,” Sadie stopped him. His eyebrow raised in suspicion. “Be careful. The front half of his house got torn up again. Also, when I went over to give Steven another cassette, Amethyst told me there were cactus needles everywhere.” Lars stared at her for a second, then laughed. “Whatever. I believed you when you said his house was all broken or whatever, but that cactus part is the icing on the cake. Anyways, see ya later, Sadie.” He wiped a faux tear from his eye and sauntered off with the Off Colors on his tail. 

Lars climbed the steps to the aforementioned half-gem’s house, which had a tarp covering a good portion of the front and some splintered wood here and there. “Dang, she wasn’t kidding,” he snorted. He hit the tarp a few times, hoping to get someone’s attention. “Hello? Steven? Is anyone home?” Before he could try again, a small purple gem appeared between the heavy curtain of tarp. “Hey, Donut Kid. What brings you here?” “We engaged in some friendly fire with some Nephrite and Paddy may or may not have cracked her gem,” he chuckled. “Anyways, we were looking for Steven. We were hoping he could heal her up real fast-“ “Uh...” Amethyst cut in. “I think we should maybe leave Steven alone. We can take Paddy to the fountain instead.” Lars, again, raised an eyebrow. “What? Why? Steven’s right here, it’s way more convenient.” “Yeah, can’t he heal her?” Rhodonite added. Amethyst hummed in thought. “You can try talkin’ to him, but if he doesn’t cooperate then come back down and we’ll take her to the fountain.”

Lars did not make an effort to be quiet as he jogged up the stairs. He was only careful to not jostle the small gem in his arms. “Steven?” He queried. He saw a lump of blankets on Steven’s bed, shifting a bit. “Hey, Steven. Quit being an angsty teenager and get up.” Paddy’s form glitched. “What?” Steven sat up. “Lars? What time is it? When did you get here?” “First of all, I just got here. Second, it’s like, 7:05 pm. Why are you in bed?” Lars was officially irritated. “Oh... I didn’t notice... musta slept the day away.” Steven laid back down, pulling his covers over his shoulders. “Hey! Quit! I need your help! Paddy’s gem is cracked and I need you to heal it.” Steven glanced at the pink teen before sitting up once more. He hopped out of bed, donning his regular pajamas..... and a jacket. Lars found this odd but didn’t question it. Steven licked his thumb and applied it to the crack. Upon receiving no results, Steven shrugged. “Sorry, I guess it’s not workin’.” Lars was upset now. “What?! How can you just not care?” Steven’s tired eyes looked at Lars once more before he flopped back into bed. “Go to the fountain. Ask Amethyst to warp you there.”

Downstairs, Lars found Rhodonite and the Twins chatting with Amethyst and Pearl, who must’ve entered the room while he was upstairs, and Fluorite talking to Garnet outside. “Hey, can you take me to the fountain?” Amethyst glanced up at him. “What, did he freak out at you or something?” “Amethyst! Stop being so insensitive.” Pearl scolded. “What? He’s done it to all of us.” Pearl covered Amethyst’s mouth before Lars could speak, offering him silence. “Well, actually, he tried to help but his powers ‘didn’t work.’ He told me to ask Amethyst to take Pads to the fountain.” The two other Off Colors in the room now focused on him. “Oh, sure!” Amethyst offered, genuine empathy splaying her face. “You guys,” Lars looked at Rhodonite and the Rutiles, “stay here. I’ll be right back.” And so, Amethyst, Lars, and Padparadscha warped away.

“You okay, Paddy? You haven’t said a word since we got here.” Lars looked at the cantaloupe gem. Her lips moved, but no words came out. “Oh.” The three appeared at the fountain upon the fading of the warp light. “Woah...” Lars had to stop and stare for a minute for his eyes to digest the full beauty of the fountain. Majestic statues thrived as stone guardians, protecting the plant life and vegetation. The uppermost statue, with her arms out in a “W” watched the waters below with closed yet ever-seeing eyes. Tears spilled from her face, yet it remained stoic. “This place... is beautiful.” “Yeah, yeah, c’mere.” Amethyst completely disregarded his awe as if this wasn’t one of, if not, the most beautiful places he’d ever seen. “Yeah, I’m-a comin’,” he responded. He walked over but weirdly felt careful, as if any loud sound or misstep would send the fountain to debris. “Just place her hand in the water, like this.” Amethyst gently grabbed Paddy’s hand and dipped it into the water. Small sparkles frisked the air as the crack on Padparadscha’s gem sealed. “Wow... I predict... I will be healed!” the orange sapphire exclaimed joyously. “Looks like our work here is done. C’mon, dude.”

As the trio reentered the cliffside house, they found the living area to be empty. However, they heard the voices of Pearl, Garnet, and the other Off Colors outside. “Guys!” Lars shouted. He carried Padparadscha out and set her down in front of the Off Colors, with Amethyst in tow behind him. “Oh... thank... the stars...” Fluorite smiled. “Oh, heavens, Pad! You had us worried sick!” “We’re so glad you’re okay!” “Glad to see you’re better.” Lars watched as his crew reunited, then glanced at the Crystal Gems. They smiled, but the smiles fell as they reentered the house. “Hey, I’ve gotta stay here for a bit so I can get the ship repaired. Could one of you get a technician or someone to help?” “Oh, yes, of course.” Pearl dialed a number and began speaking to the receiver. Lars tuned her out. He was about to speak when Steven descended the stairs, still clad in his pajamas and jacket. “Hey, man.” Amethyst greeted gently. “Hello, Steven.” Garnet smiled at him. He offered a wave of acknowledgement before heading into the bathroom. “What’s with Steven acting all edgy or whatever?” Lars asked. “... We don’t know. He won’t talk to us.” “There must be another way to help, though!” Amethyst turned to the taller gem. “Amethyst, we’ve been over this. If he does not talk, we cannot help.” “Ugh, whatever.” Amethyst slumped into the couch, irritated. “I just got off the phone with Peridot. She says that she and some other gem technicians will be over soon.” Pearl broke the tension. “Awesome, thanks.”

“Is there anything else we can accommodate you folks with?” Pearl offered. “I think we’re fine.” Lars, Rhodonite, the Twins, and Padparadscha were all sitting on the couch. Fluorite poked her head in and Garnet and Amethyst sat backwards in chairs at the dining room table. “Well, we haven’t done much, so I figured-“ The bathroom door freaked open, followed by soft but tired footsteps. “Hey, Steven. You were in there for a while. Are you ok?” Amethyst asked. “Yeah, ‘m fine.” Before he could head up the stairs, Garnet blocked him. “Eat.” Steven huffed and tried to push past. “I’m not hungry.” “Eat.” Garnet repeated herself. Steven sighed with irritation. “Fine.” He sat down, with Garnet sliding a plate with a suspiciously-quickly made PB & J. Lars got up and sat with him. “Hey.” Steven glanced at him, but offered no verbal response as he ate his sandwich slowly. “I might be here for a day or two so... wanna hang out?” Steven stared blankly ahead, then looked at Lars. He swallowed his food as he watched Pearl and Amethyst walk over to chat with the Off Colors. He shrugged. “Dude, what is your deal? Why are you acting like this?” Lars got irritated with his short friend again. “Uh... I think Peridot is here.” Pearl nervously cut in, leading the Off Colors to their ship. Amethyst left too, leaving Garnet, Lars, and Steven. “I’m not ‘acting’ any different than normal.” Steven put his half-eaten sandwich down and scooted away from the table. “I’m going back to bed.”

Garnet stepped in front of him. “No, you’re not.” Steven grumbled and walked into the bathroom. “What are you doing?” Lars asked. “Can’t a guy go pee without being interrogated?” Steven retorted, slamming the door. “Hm.” Garnet hummed. Amethyst and Pearl reentered the room. “Uh, what happened?” “Steven’s irritability is getting to him again.” Lars cocked an eyebrow. “Better stop ‘im before he turns pink again.” The pink teen perked at this. “Amethyst, stop with the inappropriate commentary.” “Wait, did you say ‘pink?’” At this, Garnet walked to the bathroom door. “Steven, get out of there. I know you’re just avoiding us.” “Yeah, he’s been having these outbursts where he turns bright pink and gets real upset. Like,  super upset.” The pink teen, upon hearing this, went to speak. “He did that at the graduation.” Pearl and Amethyst had their full attention on him now, concerned. “I was heading out so I could leave, but he told me to stop and then this big pink dome trapped me and everyone else at the graduation in it. He kept saying that other people’s heavy and bottled-up emotions caused it and that he just didn’t want us to leave.” The room was silent. “That’s why he said he didn’t like graduations...” Amethyst mumbled. 

The bathroom door opened again. Steven stumbled out, looking off-kilter. “Woah, Steven. Chill. You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” He was pale and the bags under his eyes were purple, almost like bruises. “‘S fine...” his speech was slightly slurred. The gems watched from the couch as he made his way to the stairs. “Steven, what’s going on?” Garnet asked, though it sounded more like an accusation than a question. “N-nothing...” he blurted. He tried to rush over to the stairs, but began tripping over his own feet. “Somethings wrong.” “Yeah, just let us help, dude!” The gems offered assistance, which just made Steven upset. “No!” He shouted, pink flaring in his cheeks, then disappeared. “Just leave me be.” Lars got up in a last attempt to get him to stay, grabbing the younger boy’s wrist. “Steven-“ The boy in question yelped and promptly pulled his hand away, hissing inwards through his teeth. He finished running up the stairs. Lars heard him flop onto his bed. “Lars, what’s that on your hand?” In response to Pearl’s question, Lars looked at his palm. It had light traces of red liquid staining it from where he grabbed Steven’s wrist. 

“I’m calling Connie. She’ll be able to help.” “Garne-“ “Every positive future, however minor, ends with her here.” Garnet picked up Steven’s phone from the kitchen counter. Lars dried his hands after washing them. “What was that?” Amethyst asked. “I don’t know... I don’t know...” He saw Steven come down again. “I forgot... my sandw’ch...” He stumbled over to the table. “...Should probably... finish this...” Everyone looked at him in concern. “Hmmm...” He hummed as he picked it up. Suddenly, his knees began shaking, along with the rest of his body. His teeth clattered. “Woah, woah, woah!” Lars went over to him. “Lars, get away... I’m just... a li’l cold...” Steven forcefully smiled, then stumbled backwards and fell on his behind by the couch. “Whoops...” he chuckled and shivered again. Lars went to help him up as the gems waited at the tarp for Connie. “Steven-“ he grabbed his wrist again, and again, more red fluid.  <strike> Blood </strike> “Hey, what- what is this?” Lars went to examine the site of injury, but was interrupted by Steven pulling his arm away. “Stop.” “Dude, I just wanna see what’s wrong. You’re literally bleeding.” Lars felt a tingling sensation in his ears as the familiar feeling of Lion warping to an area in his vicinity became present. “Guys? I’m here, what’s going on?” Connie hopped off Lion, paling when she saw her friend’s miserable state. “Steven!” She rushed over to him. Lars scooted out of her way. They lifted him onto the couch. “N-no... stop, I’m fi-fine...” he was almost heaving between every word and syllable. Everyone surrounded him now. “Dude, no you’re not.” “Please, Steven. You need help.” Pearl looked like she was trying to repair a dam behind her eyes as she looked at the child on the couch. “Everything... everything is f...” he wheezed “...fine.” Lars rolled his eyes. “Dude, stop.” Lars reached for Steven’s wrist again while Connie interrogated the gems. “How long has he been like this? Why? Has he been eating? Sleeping? Drinking?” Garnet moved to hush her rambling. “He has been sleeping. Too much, in my opinion. He sleeps almost all day. When he’s not sleeping, he’s in the bathroom. He eats intermittently and drinks enough water to survive.” Connie paled again. “Steven, you do realize this cycle is slowly killing you, right?” Lars asked. Steven wheezed a sad sound, but it was a chuckle. “You’re saying that... l... like it’s a bad thing.” He smiled at them crookedly. “Damn it, dude! No!” Lars yelled. He held Steven’s wrist up and tried to pull the fabric down, noticing how it had been  <strike> bloodied </strike> stained red. “S... stop...” he heaved.

Connie watched as the chaos ensued. The way this situation, described to her by Garnet, went from 0 to 100 was unreal to her. She watched as Steven protested Lars’ grip, but got sick as she watched his attempts only get weaker. “I don’t feel so good.” She ran to the bathroom to give herself a break. When she entered, there was a bloodied razor, a small red stain, and an open pill bottle littering the counter. “Oh... oh no...”

“Guys?” She queries as she stepped out, only to find the gems forcefully removing Steven’s jacket against his will. “Stop... stop...” “Guys!” Connie shouted. Everyone froze. “You need to look... in the bathroom... Lars and I will stay here.” The gems heeded this order as Connie fought to take Steven’s jacket off as gently as she could. Once it was off, his bare skin allowed the realization to dawn on Lars and Connie.

The gems rushed back out, seeing Steven laying defeated on the couch. “Steven...” Connie choked, holding his hands palm-up gently. He was soaked  <strike> with his own blood </strike> . “I...” Lars couldn’t find the capacity to speak. He had felt this pain, firsthand even, and still couldn’t bring himself to understand. “What happened?” “Who did this?” “Why didn’t he tell us?” The gems panicked. “This was... this was self-inflicted...” Everyone stopped. Steven stared ahead with blank eyes, blinking slowly. “He knew this was hurting him... and he did it anyway...” Garnet huffed. Steven wheezed again, trying to chuckle, but fell into a coughing fit. Connie looked at the gems. “I’m calling my mom.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything progresses dramatically because I’d die from anticipation if I didn’t find a way to end this lol

As Priyanka stepped out of the hospital to rush to Steven’s house (honestly, was there really anything happening?). The group of notifications for missed calls was large, and there were around 16 urgent texts. She glanced at her phone in worry while scavenging her pockets for her keys before she ran into none other than Connie’s cat. (Could he be called a cat? He was one, in a way.) “What do you want, Lion? I’m in a hurry.” He glanced upwards, nodding his head. “Oh.” She got nervous. This was going to be a bumpy ride.

The normally stiff and stoic Indian woman yelped as she almost fell off the large cat when he warped into Steven’s living room. She stumbled off of the creature, shaken and oddly exhilarated. That is, until she saw the gems, Connie, and a pink teen (was that Lars?) hovering around the couch. The metallic smell of blood, no matter how many times she smelled it, would never be normal to her. She could smell it in the air and jogged towards the source. “Oh my...”

———

Muffled voices filled his ears. Blurry shapes of many colors glided through his fleeting vision. Purple, magenta, white, brown... was that pink? Pink like... he closed his eyes tight. He felt cold metal poking and prodding him and someone lifting his shirt to expose his gem. Gem. The gems. Those were the colored blobs. He heaved a small snicker. He’d forgotten the gems were there. In his delirium, he found this funny. He looked towards something familiar. Was that Connie? No... no. Too... mature-looking. His eyes searched and he instantly relaxed when he set his eyes on her. He chuckled again, out of pure adrenaline-induced ecstasy.

——— 

As Dr. Maheswaran pressed a stethoscope to Steven’s chest, he felt him exhale in a constricted manner. “Steven, stay with me.” Her daughter pleaded as she held one of his hands with two of her own. “What are we going to do?” Amethyst asked Garnet. “...... I... I don’t know,” came the uncharacteristically emotional response. Lars watched the cacophony of medical terms and bandages unfold, metaphorically and literally, as the gems rushed around for first aid equipment and things of the sort. Dr. Maheswaran also forced Steven to spill his guts... literally. He had taken too many painkillers “on accident” and was forced to remove them. Lars stood there and was dumbstruck. What was he to do? He didn’t know how to help. Then he remembered that no one had notified Steven’s father.

“Hey, Schtu-ba-“  
“Hey, Mr. Universe. It’s Lars calling from Steven’s phone. We need you to come to...” He turned away to think. What was this place called again? “His house.”  
“The Temple?” Greg corrected. “Yeah.” Lars could almost feel the father’s concern tangibly as he asked why. “Steven is... he’s hurt. Like, really bad. I... he is probably gonna go to, like, a hospital. Or something.” Lars was rambling. It didn’t help ease the tension. “I’ll be right over.” The receiver hung up, and Lars continued to sit in wait. 

“Steven, when did you last have a drink of water?” Dr. Maheswaran was doing her best to maintain her firm composure around the menagerie of emotions pooling around her and tried to ask Steven questions. “‘M a gem....... I don’ need water... I’m fine...” he choked. He fell into another coughing fit. The doctor turned to the gems. “We need an ambulance, stat.” The gems searched frantically for a phone until Lars handed them Steven’s phone. They called the emergency services, who confirmed their upcoming arrival. “Steven!” Greg busted through the front door, dashing over to his son. “Steven? Oh my god... wh...” the man choked up. Lars frowned. He didn’t know Mr. Universe very well, but he did know that Steven was his only surviving immediate family. “The ambulances are on their way.” Lars did his best to reassure Greg and for now, that was all he could do. 

When the fire trucks and ambulances arrived, a crowd had gathered on the beach. Confusion danced across the faces of gems and humans alike. In Beach City, it was uncommon, rare, almost, to have emergency vehicles of this degree arrive. The gems ushered the crowd away while Steven was brought into an ambulance, followed by Greg. Dr. Maheswaran also hopped into the ambulance, motioning for Connie to guide the gems into the other ambulance present. “There’s not enough room in here!” Connie nodded in understanding and began the assistance of the gems to the ambulance. 

As Lars was getting ready to hop into the ambulance (he had been there, witnessed it. It was only fair he went, too.) he heard a voice call for him. “Lars!” Sadie ran over to him and embraced him, worried. “Lars! Oh my god, are you ok? What happened? Why are you covered in b-“ “Sadie!” At this, Sadie snapped her mouth shut. “I’m fine. Someone else is hurt.” The astute woman’s eyebrows pinched closer together. “Who?” Lars cleared his throat. “I don’t know... if I can say. I’ll get the all-clear from a doctor or something. I have to go.” With this, he promptly hoisted himself into the second ambulance and shut the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m ok now, thank you for all the kind comments :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy ending :)
> 
> I don’t know a lot of medical things so don’t attack me lol

“Hey, ma’am.” The woman looked up from her computer in the waiting room of the hospital to see a pink teenager with a short, blonde compatriot by his side. “What can I do ya for, honey?” Her voice was nice. “Uh... I’m here to see a Steven Universe.” The lady smiled. “Universe. Now that’s a name I’ll never forget.” She chuckled to herself as she checked the computer. “His room has visitors right now, but you can wait outside. There should be a chair or two outside each room. Now, the room number you’re lookin’ for is 132, down with the rest of the post-E.R. patients.” Sadie’s eyes widened. “Thanks, ma’am,” Lars responded awkwardly. “Anytime, honey.” 

As Lars and Sadie progressed through the corridor, a heavy atmosphere weighed on them. “‘Post-E.R.? I didn’t know it was so bad.” Sadie remarked with solemnity. “It was... something.” As they reached the room, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl exited. “We need to find other alternatives to fix this. If he won’t talk, we may have to get outside help.” Garnet’s stoic voice was steady as she guided the other two out. “What is there to do? We’ve tried everything! He... he talked to a cactus about his problems before he even considered coming to us!” Pearl looked like she was about to explode. “Chill, P. Imagine if you were in his situation and heard people gettin’ mad at you.” Amethyst retorted. “We’ll discuss this at home. There’s no need to get hostile now.” Garnet guided the shorter gems down the hall before turning to Lars. “By the way, they’re open,” she said cryptically before walking away.

Lars and Sadie peeked through the door before Greg opened it all the way. “Oh, hi Lars. Hi, Sadie.” The teens in question shared a nervous glance. This event had taken a huge toll on Mr. Universe, and his stress lines were the evidence to prove it. “Can we... come in? Garnet said it was open.” Lars didn’t know how not to be awkward. “Sure, sure. Just... be quiet?” He shuffled back, allowing Lars and Sadie in fully. Lars and Sadie’s eyebrows raised. They saw Connie sitting next to a large bundle of wires and blankets, chatting. The concern in her voice was ever-present; nonetheless she made an attempt for the teen on the receiving end of her chat. 

Lars and Sadie inched closer, nervous to interrupt. They both turned to Greg simultaneously, as if asking permission, then turned back when he gestured for them to go forward still. “Hey, Connie.” Lars approached as he set a hand on Connie’s shoulder. She flinched. “Oh, hi Lars! Hi Sadie. Sorry for being jumpy, I was just...” she looked back at Steven, “busy.” Lars and Sadie maneuvered to look at Steven. His eyes were half-lidded, and he had a neutral expression set on his face. His eyes were empty and lost, looking for something that didn’t seem to be there. Coupled with that, the wires made him look all the more pathetic. “Hey, Steven.” Steven’s eyed followed the voice as he looked at Lars and Sadie. 

“Hi.” The terse response was hoarse. Connie coughed. “He was more engaged earlier, but I don’t know what happened.” The teens on the receiving end of the statement shared an awkward glance. “It’s fine. Don’t apologize for him,” Sadie stated. The blonde and pink-haired teens grabbed chairs to sit next to the bed. “Hey, dude.” “Hi, Steven.” They spoke to him in a gentle manner, nervous about any provocative behavior. Steven glanced at them, but merely blinked as his eyes returned to the ceiling. “How are you?” Lars offered, shrugging at Sadie when no response was given. “Dude, we’re talking to you.” Connie perked. “Steven, you can talk to us,” Sadie tried. Connie rushed up to them. “He does this sometimes. I think he zones out and doesn’t comprehend the world around him fully.” Sadie’s brow pinched in sympathy. Lars glanced at Mr. Universe, who watched thoughtfully. He turned his attention back to the boy under the wires. “Yeah it... happens,” Connie explained slowly. “But...” The three surrounding the bed watched as Steven’s eyes guided down to his hand, where he received into it Connie’s hand. He squeezed it gently. Connie smiled. “I have a feeling things will turn out alright.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven comes home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was too baby to not write an actual epilogue

Lars beamed. Today was a big day for him! His ship was being repaired, the Off-Colors had made new friends, and Steven was coming back home! He lingered. Steven... 

_ Knock knock _

“Hm.” He heard the wood creak near him. “You trying to see what’s going on?” Sadie asked. “Yeah, I wanted to see the kid before I left.” Sadie hummed in agreement. “That’d be good.”

Lars felt the odd throb in his head that came with his pink companion’s arrival before hearing the roaring portal open to the inside of the house, which was also newly repaired. “Thanks, Lion.” Lars and Sadie heard Connie say. “Connie?” Lars wanted to make her aware of their presence. “Oh, hi! C’mon, the gems gave us permission to come in!” She was elated, smiling from ear to ear. Having your best friend leave the hospital after about a month of his or her stay could do a lot to a person. Connie, with Lars and Sadie tagging along, hurried up the stairs. 

The trio stopped short at the top of the staircase. Steven’s bedroom was empty. His sheets were disturbed, as they looked like someone had removed themselves from them. Steven’s phone and jacket were gone, too. The sliding door was cracked open. 

Connie, Lars, and Sadie opened the sliding door to Steven’s balcony and peeked around the edge, peering at the dome. The door had been opened, and there was the soft strum of an acoustic guitar in the _F _key. The trio snuck around the edge of the house and neared the entrance of the dome. The glass had been repaired, as well as the wilting plants. The greenery had flourished even more than before. Connie opened her mouth to make a remark about this, but was interrupted.

_ I guess I’ll have to face _

_ That in this awful place _

_ I shouldn’t show a trace of doubt _

Connie recognized this one.

_ But pulled against the grain _

_ I feel a little pain _

_ That I would rather do without _

Connie hummed along, not minding the look Lars and Sadie gave her.

_ I’d rather be _

_ Free~ _

_ Free-eee-ee _

_ Free _

The trio stepped in quietly and looked for Steven amongst the shrubbery.

_ I’d rather be _

_ Free~ _

_ Free-eee-ee _

_ Free _

The sound was getting closer. It was near a corner of the dome behind a rose bush.

_Ironic_, Connie thought.

_Free-eee-ee_

_ Free-eeee-ee _

_ Free _

_ Free-ee-ee _

_ Free-ee-e _

_ Free _

The myriad of humans caught sight of Steven behind the bush.

_ From here~ _

His soft voice rung in the trio’s ears like that of a songbird. “Steven... that was-“ “Beautiful.” Lars cut Sadie off. He turned to them. “Hey.” His eyes were tired, but less melancholic than they had been before. “Steven!” Connie yelped. She ran to him and embraced him, twirling him around and almost tackling him to the floor. “H-haha, hi Connie,” he chuckled sweetly. His face lit up pink, but unlike the other times Lars had seen him, this one was more organic. Connie pressed her lips to Steven’s face, ignoring their company. “I’m so happy you’re ok... I’m so glad you’re back... I-“ Steven squeezed her before she could finish her emotional rambling. “Yeah, I missed you too. It’s been hard with everyone moving on and stuff, ya know?” He chuckled again.

Lars made eye contact with Steven. “Hey, Steve-o.” “Hi, Lars. I thought you were going back to space.” Lars was dumbfounded. “Pff, what? I mean, I was, but I couldn’t  not see you before I left. I wanted to check in on ya before I left.” “Same.” Sadie added. Steven looked at her. “Where are you going?” “I’m goin’ out of town with Shep. Their aunt and uncle want us to play for them.” Steven hummed in understanding. “Speaking of music, what was that song you were singing?” Steven raised an eyebrow.

“Oh,  _ Escapism _ ?” Sadie nodded. “Yeah that’s... that’s an old tune I know. Kind of a personal one, but it really means a lot to me.” Steven glanced at Connie. His eyes filled with love and adoration as his face softened. “Oh, cool.” Steven snapped out of it and looked back at Lars and Sadie, blushing. “H-heh, yeah. Thanks.”

Lars put a hand on Steven’s shoulder.

“Seriously, dude. We’re glad you’re ok. Also, don’t do that again or I’ll kill you myself.” Steven gulped nervously and gave a crooked smile and an awkward double thumbs-up. “Will do, Captain.” He did a fake solute. “Alright, man. You better take care of yourself because I will come back here and everyone I know and I will baby you to hell and back.” Steven chuckled. “Ok, ok, yeah I got it.” Sadie smiled at Steven. “Ok but seriously don’t do that again. It was terrifying.” Lars’ smile pulled into a grimace. “Yeah, for real.” “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him,” Connie retorted to the pink and blonde teens ahead of her. Steven blushed again. “Well, see ya! I’ll be sure to call more often, alright?” Lars remarked. “See ya, Lars.” Sadie left with him, offering her own fair well.

“It’s nice to know that maybe... maybe things haven’t changed for the worse,” Steven remarked thoughtfully. “It only took you that long to figure it out.”

**Author's Note:**

> edit: not deleting! I like how this one came out even tho it’s kinda bad lol


End file.
